Hello guys and thank you all for the replies!
Looks like my last comment generated a little confusion so let me clarify. I do indeed live in London and yes, beards are very popular here. That is, full, natural, effortless-looking beards. Either short and corporate (popular across the board) or long and bushy (huge with the hipster crowd), just go out in the street and probably 40% of the men you see will have one going. Carved, styled beards are a different story though. My impression for one is that they're regarded as a bit try-hard, as in "the guy really must spend a lot of time in front of the mirror"; also, they seem to smack of foreigner (which I am btw) or subculture (metal and hip-hop to name two), neither of which help a lot in the UK dating scene. Add to that the fact that the beard + shaved head combo in London is almost exclusive to the gay scene and my colleague's comment - however uncalled for - starts to make some sort of sense.
I personally don't care. In facts I've realised my appearance functions as a screening tool. Since I've started growing a beard I've become pretty much transparent to 95% of the women I meet - but the remaining 5% are basically throwing themselves at my feet. Saves me a lot of effort in the end